YOU on the Camino de Santiago

SLOWING DOWN FOR THAT CAMINO CONNECTION Every so often, timing lines up just right. This week, I catch Lisa and Abhay just days before they leave for Spain to begin their pilgrimage on the Camino Francés. They are both used to moving fast and taking on big challenges, but the Camino offers them something different: a chance to slow down, be present, and savor the shared experience of walking this ancient pilgrimage path. READY TO BRING HOME YOUR CAMINO EXPERIENCE? Registration in our new pilgrim community, La Terraza, opens on Tuesday, November 4 for anyone who has already walked one of the Camino routes. The La Terraza community takes your Camino experience to the next level, with targeted audio sessions that walk you through the transition back home and numerous opportunities to connect with other pilgrims who share the awe and wonder of making this pilgrimage. IS 2026 YOUR YEAR TO WALK THE CAMINO?  I have ONE spot left in my September 2026 Camino Experience group. Let's get started together: https://thecaminoexperience.com/walk-with-me/  (The May 2026 group is full.)   #youonthecamino #caminodesantiago #firsttimepilgrim #thecaminoexperience #caminopodcast

İ SÍ SE PUEDE ! (YES WE CAN!) Imagine facing down your fears with such clarity and determination - with a sure and clear statement of yes I can - that your fear transforms into freedom. That's what happened on the Camino for pilgrim Jen Manglos, and her life has never been the same. She has since written and published a landmark book for pilgrims returning home from walking the Camino de Santiago: The Way Back: Reflections, Practices, and Rituals to Help You Bring Home the Wisdom of Your Pilgrimage Available on Amazon or contact Jen via her website: https://jenmanglos.com/  Jen shared a couple of fantastic resources available to pilgrims wanting to debrief their pilgrimage experiences, both of which are available in Santiago: Pilgrim House, located at Rúa Nova, 19 Camino Companions, located in the same building as the Pilgrim's Reception Office, at Rúa das Carretas, 33 The very special place to stay on the Camino Portugués is Albergue De Peregrinos Casa Da Fernanda, in Vitorino dos Piães, Portugal And the musical Jen referred to is called Come From Away: https://comefromaway.com/    IS 2026 YOUR YEAR TO WALK THE CAMINO?  Let's get started together. Drop me an email at nancy@thecaminoexperience to grab one of the final spots in my 2026 Camino Experience groups.   #youonthecamino #caminodesantiago #firsttimepilgrim #thecaminoexperience #caminopodcast  

NOW IS THE TIME TO GO AFTER YOUR DREAMS *The podcast is on a break while I am on the Camino. The next episode will air on Tuesday, October 21st.* I hope you are ready to be inspired, because in this episode you are going to hear from someone who knows how to make dreams happen. And more than that, she knows the value of going after those dreams . . . now. Kat is living in Spain with her husband and daughter, following one of the best plot twists ever. When Kat said yes to walking the Camino, it sparked an amazing and seemingly unlikely chain of events. “Yes” is a powerful word, so use it wisely! You just never know where one yes will lead you. For Kat, it led her to motherhood, moving to Spain, and a whole new take on career and family. She learned the benefits of slowing down, and at this new pace she was able to contemplate the question of who she wanted to be, for real. IS 2026 YOUR YEAR TO WALK THE CAMINO?  Let's get started together. Join me on the trail: https://thecaminoexperience.com/walk-with-me/    #youonthecamino #caminodesantiago #firsttimepilgrim #thecaminoexperience #caminopodcast

WHEN PLANS CHANGE - FOR THE BETTER How many pilgrims were inspired to walk the Camino after seeing a movie set on the trail? For most people it was the movie The Way, with Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen. For my guest today it was the charming (although largely inaccurate) Hallmark movie, Journey to You. Jeff is recently retired, and his discovery of the Camino after watching the movie Journey to You, led to an immediate plot twist in his newly implemented retirement plans. Jeff asked some excellent questions, so you are going to get some more information on using trekking poles on the Camino – how to get the most benefit from them, and how not to lose your poles. And I’ve got some pro tips for you on staying in Roncesvalles. IS 2026 YOUR YEAR TO WALK THE CAMINO?  Let's get started together. Join me on the trail: https://thecaminoexperience.com/walk-with-me/    #youonthecamino #caminodesantiago #firsttimepilgrim #thecaminoexperience #caminopodcast

REDEFINING AGE ON THE CAMINO What is the Camino really all about? Many pilgrims say it’s all about the people, and my guest today is likely to agree with that. Cheryle walked the Camino with her friend, Janet, at the age of 81. Together they made friends all along the Way. Cheryle doesn’t consider herself a walker, but she did it, and when she wrote to me last week, she said this: I still have the love and glow of the beautiful walk I had on the Camino.”   IS 2026 YOUR YEAR TO WALK THE CAMINO?  Let's get started together. Join me on the trail: https://thecaminoexperience.com/walk-with-me/    #youonthecamino #caminodesantiago #firsttimepilgrim #thecaminoexperience #caminopodcast

BEING A PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER THAN OURSELVES I love the perspective of the first-time pilgrim. There is so much excitement and anticipation. Eagerness and nervousness. And such great questions! We could talk forever about what it means to walk the Camino de Santiago and what it takes to get ready. My guest today is Jill from California who is just about to board a plane to go walk the Camino Francés. We had a wonderful conversation, spanning such topics as pilgrim meals, planning your stages, when to take rest days, women’s safety, and using ATMs to get cash. We also touched on the tender position of being one small person in a big world and how we can connect with others in a way that restores our hope and trust in humanity. Here is the book Jill mentions in this episode: The Way of the Heart, by Henri Noewen Join Jill in supporting the World Central Kitchen: https://donate.wck.org/fundraiser/6443097  HOW ARE YOUR 2025 GOALS COMING ALONG? I'd love to hear from you! You can write to me at nancy@thecaminoexperience.com  IS 2026 YOUR YEAR TO WALK THE CAMINO?  Let's get started together. Join me on the trail: https://thecaminoexperience.com/walk-with-me/    #youonthecamino #caminodesantiago #firsttimepilgrim #thecaminoexperience #caminopodcast

THE UNIVERSALITY OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE What happens when you want to walk the Camino, but you have a physical limitation that could prevent you from doing it? Well, in the case of today’s guest, Richard, you just go do it anyway. Today's inspiring pilgrim conversation filled with spiritual insight, courage, and determination. Talking with Richard reminded me how much I take for granted, with all my senses working and my body as able as it can be one week away from turning 60. He also reminded me that there are gifts hidden in loss and trials, gifts that we can use to deepen our human experience and understand its universality. IS 2026 YOUR YEAR TO WALK THE CAMINO?  Let's get started together. Join me on the trail: https://thecaminoexperience.com/walk-with-me/    #youonthecamino #caminodesantiago #firsttimepilgrim #thecaminoexperience #caminopodcast

THERE HAS TO BE A BETTER WAY Bringing the Camino experience home. Anyone tried that? It’s tricky, right? You spend all this time in the liminal space of the Camino – in this alternative world where strangers are kind, people are good, and making connections is easy and fun. You walk yourself into a stronger, braver version of yourself, and you discover you like that person. You dial into the simplicity of spending your day at the pace of walking, carrying only what you need, and listening to the messages from your body about what it needs and how to care for it. You laugh, you cry, you celebrate, and you grieve. And you do it all with a couple dozen people who have the same purpose as you: to walk day by day and eventually reach Santiago de Compostela, Fisterra, or Muxia. You do all that, and then you have to return home. It’s hard, isn’t it, to transition from the Camino back to everyday life? We do it, but many of us don’t like it. Many of us flounder, struggle, and suffer. There has to be a better way. Now there is! Check it out . . . JOIN THE LA TERRAZA COMMUNITY Take the next step of your pilgrimage here: https://thecaminoexperience.com/laterraza/  Registration is open from noon on August 19, through midnight August 23, 2025, Pacific time zone. Next registration period will be in late October/early November. GET THE FULL CHALLENGE Sign up here to get all the content of the Mining the Lessons of the Camino challenge: https://thecaminoexperience.com/challenge  #youonthecamino #caminodesantiago #firsttimepilgrim #thecaminoexperience #caminopodcast

YOUR PILGRIMAGE ISN'T OVER When we walked the Camino, we discovered a few things. We discovered something called Camino magic – that experience of awe and wonder when we slowed down to the pace of walking, when we settled deeply into the present moment, and when we opened our hearts to strangers, ourselves, and something bigger than ourselves. We discovered the true meaning of the phrase, "the Camino provides." Curiously, the Camino didn’t always provide what we wanted, but if we looked closely enough, we could see that it provided what we needed. We discovered a new version of ourselves – one we liked and wanted to become better acquainted with. One we would like to hang out with on a regular basis. We discovered an inner strength and confidence, and we suspected it may have been there all along; we just didn’t know how to access it. We discovered the spirit of the Camino and wanted more of it. How do we keep all that alive? Here's how: JOIN THE LA TERRAZA COMMUNITY Take the next step of your pilgrimage here: https://thecaminoexperience.com/laterraza/  Registration is open from noon on August 19, through midnight August 23, 2025, Pacific time zone. Next registration period will be in late October/early November. GET THE FULL CHALLENGE Sign up here to get all the content of the Mining the Lessons of the Camino challenge: https://thecaminoexperience.com/challenge  #youonthecamino #caminodesantiago #firsttimepilgrim #thecaminoexperience #caminopodcast

WHY SHARING YOUR CAMINO STORY IS SO IMPORTANT When we return home from the Camino, one of our greatest needs is simply to talk about the experience. We need to tell our stories. You can see this on social media and all over YouTube. So many stories! So many people feel compelled to recount what happened and where and with whom. Look at this, look at that! Our stories connect us to each other and inspire us to reach higher. In sharing about our Camino experiences, we come to understand them better, and we discover hidden treasures in the factual accounting of what happened, when, where, and how. Today I am going to share with you five reasons why telling our Camino stories is so important. And then I want to share with you some actual stories pilgrims have been sharing within La Terraza. Then, we will wrap up with the third audio session from our community challenge, mining the lessons of the Camino. GET THE FULL CHALLENGE Sign up here to get all the content of the Mining the Lessons of the Camino challenge: https://thecaminoexperience.com/challenge  #youonthecamino #caminodesantiago #firsttimepilgrim #thecaminoexperience #caminopodcast